


The Broken Ones

by sammysouffle (talesandthings)



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpha Frank, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Omega Foggy, Post Mpreg, Post-Season/Series 02, alpha matt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-11-15 12:25:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11230929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talesandthings/pseuds/sammysouffle
Summary: Foggy is going through the process of breaking his bond with Matt while trying to hide the fact that their 4-year-old daughter, who just presented as an alpha, is showing signs of having Matt’s superhuman senses. In the middle of all this chaos, the last thing Foggy expected was to find support and friendship in the form another alpha and vigilante who happens to be part of the reason why Matt and Foggy separated in the first place.





	1. Eliza Nelson-Murdock

**Author's Note:**

> Look, I know I got like a hundred WIPs going on but I keep getting these new story ideas that I just have to write. Anyway, here, have another A/B/O fic. This one, like 'Fire Under My Skin,' will be filled with angst. Oh and just as a warning, while this fic doesn't have actual mpreg, it is implied that that's how Foggy and Matt's daughter was born.

Two weeks before Matt and Foggy’s first session with the Alpha-Omega Therapist, their daughter Eliza presents as an alpha. It’s cute, actually. The 4-year-old starts out by telling Foggy that she can feel a wolf puppy roaming around in the back of her mind. Dressed in her Stitch Onesie -the hoodie of which plops over her eyes because it’s too big for her- she stands in the middle of the kitchen, growling like a tiny, territorial chihuahua. She then proceeds to grab a wooden spoon and marches back and forth behind Foggy while telling him that the wolf puppy said she needs to protect her papa. Foggy can't stop laughing the whole time and he takes a video with the intention of sending it to Matt but decides against it at the last minute and sends it to Karen instead. 

Karen drops by just 15 minutes later, armed with a gift basket filled with hoards of chocolates, candies, and cookies for Eliza, a champagne for the two of them, and a giant card that reads “Congratulations on your Alpha!” Foggy has no idea how she managed to scrap all of that together in just 15 minutes but he doesn’t ask. Something tells him that the Beta has a gift basket for every occasion.

Foggy and Karen spit out the champagne after just one sip. They have never been the champagne type of people, anyway. They settle on the couch with a beer instead, while Eliza munches on a chocolate chip cookie and marches in front of the coffee table with her trusty wooden spoon. After a few minutes of small talk about Foggy’s new job at HCB and Karen’s new job at The New York Bulletin, the two fall into a comfortable silence. That’s when Karen decides to bring up the elephant in the room. “Have you told Matt yet?”

“What do you think?” Foggy asks as he takes a sip of his beer.

“Oh, my apologies, I thought you were an actual mature adult who would have told the guy that his daughter just presented as an alpha,” Karen replies sarcastically. Trust her to call Foggy out like that.

“I will tell him, Kare,” Foggy sighs. “When I see him during our therapy session in two weeks.”

“Right, the therapy session,” Karen pauses and takes a sip of her own beer. “I can’t believe you two are still trying to break your bond. You've been together for 10 frigging years. I don’t think I know any other couple who have broken their bond.” She pauses again and Foggy notices that she’s picking at the sticker on her beer bottle. “I feel like I’m to blame for this. I shouldn’t have told you about that woman at Matt’s house.”

“Karen.” Foggy reaches out to take the bottle from Karen’s cold hand and puts both his and Karen’s beer on the coffee table, before taking her hand again. “It’s not your fault, okay? Matt and I have had our share of problems since I found out about his- _extracurricular activities_ last year. Being Daredevil is more important to him than Eliza and I. He made that very clear.” He gently strokes the back of her hand with his thumb.

Karen pulls her hand away and then Foggy finds his arms full of his dainty blonde friend as she hugs him tight. Foggy buries his head in her neck as he hugs her back. It’s been so long since he has hugged anyone that wasn’t Eliza. Karen is warm. As a beta, her smell is much more reassuring and comforting in a way that's much different from an omega or an alpha. 

“I wanna hug!” The couch dips as Eliza jumps on it. She wedges herself between Foggy and Karen and forces them to hug her too.

Both Foggy and Karen laugh and press a kiss on each side of her cheek. Karen then pulls Eliza onto her lap and wraps her into a hug. “My little lizard,” she giggles and places kisses all over Eliza’s face while Eliza just squeals and squirms in Karen’s lap.

Karen came into their life when Eliza was only two and a half years old. Foggy and Matt brought Karen back to their place after she was attacked in jail and that’s when she was introduced to Eliza. Back then, Eliza was a temperamental little kid who pretty much hated everyone. She still initiated contact with Karen and climbed into her lap, while telling her that everything was going to be fine. She and Karen have been inseparable since that day. 

Foggy smiles to himself and reaches out to pick up his phone from the coffee table and clicks a picture of the two. They are just too adorable.

“Aunty Karen lemme go! I’m a big girl now. I need to protect my papa!” She says in her cute little authoritative voice and pulls her hoodie back over her head.

“Awwww… my cute little alpha,” Karen coos swaying Eliza from side to side and places one more kiss on her cheek before letting her go. “Looks like she’s the alpha of the house now, Foggy. She’ll probably chase away any alphas you bring back here,” she says distractedly.

Foggy goes rigid at that and Karen bites down on her tongue before turning her head towards him again. “Sorry,” she apologizes. “I know it’s pretty soon since you and Matt only divorced like a month ago, but once you dissolve your bond too, then you can start dating again, right? Maybe find someone who doesn’t turn out to secretly be a vigilante?”

“That's such a low bar. What is my life even?” Foggy sighs dramatically and throws his head back against the couch. “Besides, I don’t want to think about that right now. Between you and me, I don’t think I can be with an alpha again.”

“Aw, Foggy. Is this your not so subtle way of asking me out?” Karen’s eyes twinkle with mischief. “I mean, we do make perfect sense. We are kindred spirits. Two peas in a pod and all that.”

Before Foggy can reply, his 4-year-old’s pained voice gets his attention. 

“Ah! Papa!”

Foggy clambers off the couch and immediately rushes around the coffee table to find Eliza on the floor with her hands covering her ears. “Hey, hey, buddy, what’s going on?” Foggy asks as he gets down on the floor beside her and pulls his daughter into his lap.

Eliza clutches onto Foggy’s shirt as she buries her head into his torso. “Papa, it’s too loud. Make it stop,” she cries out.

Foggy looks up at Karen who’s beside him on the floor and gives her a pleading look.

“Eliza,” Karen gently calls out as she runs her hand through Eliza’s dark hair. “Kiddo, what’s too loud?”  

Eliza grip tightens on Foggy’s shirt as she says, “Everything." Her body shakes as another wave of sobs escape her lips. “My ears- my head- it hurts so bad!”

Foggy’s heart starts racing. He picks up his reluctant daughter and lets her press her head into his shoulder. “Shhh… You’ll be okay, Eliza,” Foggy tries consoling her. “I promise. You’ll be okay.” Foggy has no idea what’s going on, but he’d be damned if he lets anything happen to his little girl.

***

Foggy feels like the floor has been pulled from right underneath his feet the moment Eliza's pediatrician says it. 

“Mr. Nelson, your daughter is exhibiting an unusually heightened sense of hearing. Alphas generally do have heightened senses, but they take years to develop and even then they’re not on the level that Eliza’s are right now. I accidentally dropped my pen while I was talking to her and she caught it mid-air without any effort. So it’s not just her hearing, it’s her reflexes too. And from what I could tell, her sense of sight is heightened too. She seems to be able to point out minor details with such accuracy. It’s uncanny actually. I mean, of course, we’ll have to do more tests to figure out-”

“No!” Foggy hisses before she can finish her thought.

“Excuse me?” The doctor balks at him.

“My daughter is not a guinea pig-”

“That’s not what I meant, Mr. Nelson,” the doctor cuts him off. “We just need to do further tests to understand what’s going on with Eliza.”

“No,” Foggy reiterates himself, a little louder this time, and pushes his chair before getting up. He already knows what's going on. “I don’t need the government turning up on my doorstep and taking my daughter away because you have some misconceptions about her. She is a smart kid who's much advanced for her age as it is. Besides, you just said it yourself that alphas have enhanced senses. Maybe Eliza is one of the lucky ones who got those abilities earlier.”

“That’s not how it works, Mr. Nelson,” the doctor stands up from her chair as well. She’s an omega too so her glare doesn’t exactly make Foggy back away.

“Well, I don’t care,” Foggy replies adamantly. As he starts to leave, he stops at the door and hovers around before saying, “And doctor, if you tell anyone about this, I will pin so many lawsuits on you and this clinic that you’ll not only go bankrupt trying to settle them but you’ll never be able to practice medicine again.” He slams the door shut on his way out.  

“Foggy, what’s going on?” Karen asks, shooting up from her chair in the waiting area.

Foggy ignores her and looks over Eliza instead, who’s watching him with her big blue eyes. She may have Matt’s hair but she has Foggy’s eyes. Foggy’s anger immediately dissipates and he picks up his little girl and clutches her to his chest. “I won’t let anyone take you away,” he whispers in her hair.

“Foggy,” Karen worriedly says his name and Foggy feels her gentle hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?” She asks again.

“Not here,” Foggy replies as he heads out the door with Eliza.

***

“She has Matt’s abilities?” Karen asks as they get off the subway and head towards Foggy’s apartment.

They could have taken the cab but Foggy needed fresh air after the day he just had. Eliza fell asleep on his shoulder the moment they got on the subway and hasn’t woken up since.

“Yeah, at least that’s what it seems like.”

“Damn,” Karen says under her breath. “I still can’t believe you threatened her with a lawsuit, though.”

“Well, I don't want her going around town telling everyone about Eliza's abilities. If she does then do you know how long it will take for someone to connect the dots and figure out that-” he leans to Karen’s ear and lowers his voice as he says, “-Eliza is Daredevil’s daughter? Not too long. That’s why I had to shut her up.”

“Even after Matt told me about his - _nightly activities-"_

“Pfft! That’s one way to put it,” Foggy scoffs.

“All I’m saying is that even after he told me about  _you know who_ , I still don’t understand how his powers work. I mean I’ve seen him fight and everything but his senses- yeah no.”

“At least he told you about his abilities,” Foggy points out and doesn’t even bother hiding the bitterness in his voice. “I, his own mate, had to find him half dead, in the house where our _daughter_ lives, to know what he was up to.”

“I’m so sorry, Foggy,” Karen apologizes and Foggy can hear the guilt in her voice again.

Eliza whines in her sleep and Foggy gently rocks her before saying, “I keep telling you, Kare. I’m not mad at you. I can’t even fault you for having a crush on Daredevil,” he adds teasingly.

“Hey!” Karen hisses at him and he turns his head slightly and under the streetlight, he notices the tint of pink on her cheek. “That was _before_ I found out it was Matt. Besides, before you knew he was Daredevil, you told him that you wanted to punch Daredevil in the face.”

“And I still tell him I want to punch Daredevil in the face,” Foggy deadpans. “What’s your point?”

“You’re an ass,” Karen says in exasperation. Foggy knows the feeling. Exasperation is all he’s been feeling for the past year. “So… are you going to tell him about Eliza’s abilities?”

“No,” Foggy replies without a second of thought. He tightens his hold around Eliza.

“He needs to know, Foggy,” Karen argues. “He’s the only one who can help Eliza manage her senses.”

“If I tell him about her abilities, Kare, he’ll take her away,” Foggy counters. He has already lost Matt. There is no way in hell he is going to lose Eliza too. “He let me keep Eliza because he felt guilty for dragging us into his mess. The second I tell him about Eliza’s abilities, he’ll try to gain custody of her because like you said, he’s the only one who can help Eliza manage her senses.”

“Oh, you can’t actually believe that Foggy. I mean, Matt would never do that to you.”

“I don’t know that Karen,” Foggy replies and even he can hear the unbridled anger in his voice. “The Matt I knew back in college, yeah, he would never do that to me. But the Matt I know now is unpredictable and I am not taking any chances. Especially when I know how much the system favors alphas over omegas. Back when we were getting a divorce, do you know even _my_ attorney tried to dissuade me from fighting back if Matt tried to get custody of Eliza?”

“That’s rough, but I still think-”

“What?” Foggy asks when Karen stops talking abruptly.

She side eyes something to her right before whispering, “Someone’s following us.”

“What?” Foggy says again, a little louder this time.

“Shhh!” Karen hisses at him and grabs onto his elbow. “Those same footsteps have been following us since we got off the train.”

Foggy focuses on the footsteps she’s talking about and realizes that they are actually getting closer now. Shit. “Walk faster,” he whispers as he starts picking up his pace.

“Hey, hey, it stopped,” Karen tells him when they get to Foggy’s apartment building.

The two friends turn around in synchronization and find that there is no one behind them.

“Where’d they go?” Karen asks looking around. 

Eliza stirs in his arms again. “Papa, what’s goin’ on?” She asks him in a groggy voice. 

“Shhh it’s okay, buddy, go back to sleep,” Foggy whispers in her hair as he starts rocking her against his chest again.

That’s when there’s a clicking noise behind them and the two friends look at each other before slowly turning around. Foggy’s heart skips a beat and he takes an instinctive step back when he finds a man in a black hoodie with a bandana over his face standing in front of them. And, oh yeah, he has a gun pointed between Foggy's eyes.

“Hey, we’ll give you whatever you want,” Karen assures the man. “No need to do anything stupid.”

Foggy keeps his arms tightly wrapped around his daughter while keeping his eyes trained on the man with the gun. An omega’s first instinct always is to protect their pup and Foggy isn’t afraid to lunge at the man and grab the gun from his hand if he can do so safely.

“I don’t want anything,” the man’s muffled voice comes from behind the bandana. “I have a message for Nelson, Murdock, and Page,” he pauses for a second before adding. “From Wilson Fisk.”

Foggy’s breath hitches when hears that name. “Karen, duck!” He yells as he grabs his friend and flies to the ground with her and Eliza and tries to shield them with his body. His screaming wakes up Eliza and she starts crying. “Shhh… it’s okay. You’ll be okay, buddy.” Even in his state of panic, Foggy tries to assure her. They stay huddled on the ground as Foggy waits for his inevitable demise.

But nothing happens.

And then Foggy hears it. A groan followed by a loud thud as something hits the ground. He shakily turns around and his eyes widen when he finds an unfamiliar figure standing over the man in the hoodie. The person slides back the barrel of the gun a few times and drains out all the bullets, before dropping the gun beside the hoodie guy’s head. The hoodie guy scrambles to his feet and runs away like his ass is on fire.

“F- Frank?” Karen calls out when she seems to find her voice again.

“Aren’t you supposed to be dead?” Foggy asks a second later because he has no idea what else to say. He gets up from the ground with his daughter still clinging and crying against his shoulder. Karen gets up soon after.

“Is your kid okay?” Castle asks instead as he turns to face them. He looks _different._ The guy’s face is covered with a beard and he has a lot more hair on his head than he did during the trial 4 months ago. He’s also wearing a blue shirt and jeans instead of his usual Punisher ensemble. Speaking of the Punisher ensemble, his gun his missing too. Unless he has one stuffed somewhere Foggy doesn’t want to know about. The point is that if Karen hadn’t said his name, Foggy wouldn’t have recognized the guy.

Foggy kisses the top of Eliza’s head as he rocks her again. “Yeah, she’s fine,” Foggy replies. When he bumps his nose against Eliza’s cheek, the kid looks up at him with her eyes and face all red and snot running down her nose. “You’re okay, aren’t you, buddy?” Foggy asks her as he places a kiss on her forehead. He can hear Castle and Karen talking in the background but he ignores them. He brings the collar of Eliza’s t-shirt up and wipes her nose with it.

Eliza twists her head and Foggy finds her carefully assessing Castle. “Who’s that?” She asks out loud. Castle and Karen stop talking immediately and look up at her.

“That- that’s Frank Castle. He’s uh-” he struggles to find a response because he really doesn’t want to tell his 4-year-old that that’s Frank Castle, the guy who murdered at least 50 people and then died himself and is now a zombie looks like it. “-he’s Aunty Karen’s friend,” Foggy settles for that instead and tries hard not to burst out laughing when both Castle and Karen narrow their eyes at him.

Castle takes a step towards them Foggy immediately steps back. As much as he hates it, it’s the instinctual response of an omega when there are unfamiliar alphas around their pups. Eliza seems to notice the shift in Foggy’s scent as she immediately throws her arms around his neck, and growls at Castle. The guy stops in his tracks and Foggy can almost see an amused smile forming on his lips.

“She’s an alpha,” he comments, keeping his eyes trained on Eliza.

Foggy’s taken aback by the statement but nods his head anyway. He can’t help but wonder what Castle’s own kids were. Foggy never thought about that during the case because it wasn’t relevant. He did, however, find out that Castle’s wife was a beta.

“Frank, how did you get here right on time?” Karen asks as she comes to a stop beside Foggy again. “Wait… were you following us too?” 

Castle tears his gaze away from Foggy and Eliza and looks at Karen instead. “No,” he grumbles.

“Right,” Karen replies suspiciously and then looks over at Foggy. “Anyway, I should get going.”

“You sure?” Foggy inquires. “I mean, you could stay over tonight if you want.”

“Nah, I’m good. Besides, this one right here can get me home,” Karen says pointing her thumb towards Castle. She glances over at Castle and adds, “What? Don’t look at me like that. I’ve been looking for you for 4 weeks. I am not letting you out of my sight.” She gives Foggy a side hug and presses a kiss on both his and Eliza’s forehead. “Be careful, Foggy. That guy followed you to your apartment. There could be more on their way. I suggest you call Matt.”

“Kare-” Foggy starts to say but Karen interrupts him.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re too much of a stubborn  _you know what_ to do that.” She gives him a pointed look. And yes, Foggy is fully aware that she wanted to call him an ass or asshole but decided against since Eliza's awake now.

“Bye, Aunty Karen!” Eliza excitedly waves at Karen as she starts to leave linking her arm with Castle’s.

Karen waves at Eliza over her shoulder, while Castle gives both Foggy and Eliza an indiscernible look.

“Are we calling dad?” Eliza asks as she and Foggy head inside the apartment building.

“No."

***

Two weeks later, Foggy sits in the waiting area at the Alpha-Omega therapist’s office, while impatiently shaking his leg. Today is the first day of the three-month therapy session they’re required to go through before he and Matt can break their bond. While they’ve already annulled their marriage, the bond they created, when they mated back in college, is still intact. The whole process of breaking the bond is painful, both physically and psychologically, not to mention intrusive. That's why they are legally required to go to a therapist, who will most likely try to convince them not to break their bond. But both Foggy and Matt have made up their minds. They need to do this.

Foggy got here 30 minutes early because he really didn’t want to be late. He also might have wanted to prepare himself because he hasn’t seen Matt in a month and he isn’t sure what to expect. Foggy has gotten so used to Matt’s flakiness that he’s almost expecting his ex-husband not to turn up even for something as important as this. But the thing is that unlike a case, Foggy can’t wing this.

About 5 minutes before their session is supposed to start, Foggy hears the front door open then close and when he looks up, his heart skips a beat. Matt. Foggy’s ex-husband looks pretty much the same. He looks a little bulkier, which means he's been spending more of his time working out. His face is void of any bruises so that's a good sign too. 

Matt's dressed in a gray suit with a white shirt inside and his hands are tightly wound around his cane. He takes careful, calculated steps towards Foggy like he’s almost scared Foggy will yell at him. But the thing is that they’re done kicking and screaming. Now, they’re just two strangers who share a bond. And a kid. And Karen. 

“Hey,” Matt calls out as he stops in front of Foggy. He uses his cane to reach out and tap the leg of the chair beside Foggy, before taking a seat.

Foggy gets a whiff of Matt's familiar cologne when the alpha sits down. Foggy leans forward in his chair and presses his hands together in front of him. “Hey,” he says after a minute or two.

“Am I late?” Matt asks and moves to sit in a similar position as Foggy. Their heads are close together and they must almost look like they’re conspiring something.

“No, we actually got a few minutes,” Foggy replies. “Um- how have you been?”

Matt turns his head and looks straight ahead as he says, “Good. And you? How- how’s Liz?”

“She’s good.” And then just because Matt looks so upset he decides to add, “She misses you.”

“I miss her too,” Matt breath hitches as he tells him that.

“Um I need to tell you something,” Foggy tells him hesitantly and when Matt snaps his head towards him, he adds, “Eliza, she- she presented as an alpha two weeks ago.”

“What?” Matt asks and a huge grin spreads across his face. “That’s great!” He adds excitedly much to Foggy’s delight but then the smile almost immediately slides off his face. “Wait. That’s good, right? I mean, I know you always wanted her to be an omega…”

“Nah, I’m really disappointed that she took after you,” Foggy replies sarcastically and rolls his eyes, despite the fact that Matt can't see it. “Of course, I’m happy, you asshole! I don’t care if my daughter’s an alpha, beta, or omega. I’ll support her no matter what. Besides, she can always transition into a different status if she decides she’s not an alpha but an omega,” he adds bumping his shoulder against Matt’s.

Matt bumps back against Foggy’s shoulder and chuckles, “Right. Well, for now, I’ll just enjoy the fact that my daughter took after me.” 

Someone clears their throat above them and Foggy looks up to find the therapist giving them an amused smile. “Ready for your session, gentlemen?” 

Right. Time to do this.


	2. The Same Song and Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Foggy reminisces about his college days at the therapist's office but things don't end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if anyone's reading this but it's fun to write.

**2006**

Foggy’s an omega but he started using suppressants and scent blockers over the summer to hide his omega-ness. His whole life, Foggy has been looked at with pity, while being told that he’s a glitch in the system. Someone who should have presented as a beta but because of some  _ terrible _ mistake ended up as an omega instead. He's heard the same thing over and over again, so many times, that he believes it now. 

The truth is that Foggy has never been like other omegas. He’s defiant to a fault and isn’t afraid to mouth off to an alpha. In school, if an alpha picked on an omega, beta, _or_ another alpha, Foggy always stood up to them. The bullies never took that as an act of courage, though. They called him a bitch and then laughed at him mercilessly. Hell, even the people he helped never appreciated it and told him they would rather get bullied than be saved by someone like him. 

***

Foggy wanted to get a fresh start in college. If people thought he should be a beta then he would become one. A few weeks after his graduation, when Foggy turns 18, he drives himself to the nearest pharmacy and buys every type of scent blocker he can get his hands on. He even buys the suppressants and birth control, just in case. 

On the first day of college, he was ready. All of his forms read that he is a beta and no one even doubts him for a second. Foggy is glad that his deception is working, that is until he meets his roommate. . 

***

Foggy’s still embarrassed to admit it but he may have let out an undignified whine the second his new roommate enters their shared room. Foggy gets his breath knocked right out of him, the second his eyes land on that innocent and adorable face. His roommate's floppy hair falls over his eye. His smile is so bright that it lights up their entire room. Foggy could honestly write poems about that smile alone. If it wasn’t for the strong pheromones oozing off the guy, Foggy would have thought the guy was an omega. 

***

His alpha roommate’s name is Matt. The guy makes Foggy fall in love with him in just a week. Matt's blind so he doesn’t see the way Foggy looks at him with so much love and reverence. Matt's also unmated so every omega, beta, and even alpha in his nearest vicinity want him to mate with them. Matt offers them a smile and politely tells them he’s not interested in mating but he is more than interested in sleeping with them. Foggy just rolls his eyes at the sexy, endearing idiot, while doing a victory dance on the inside. The odds of Matt becoming his alpha are stacked against Foggy because a. Matt doesn’t know Foggy’s an omega and b. Even if he did, he would never mate with Foggy because Foggy’s not an ideal omega. 

But that doesn’t mean, Foggy can’t enjoy the fact that the alpha will probably remain unmated for a while because of his commitment issues. Yes, Foggy does feel bad later. Matt’s his friend and Foggy should encourage him to mate with someone but he can’t bring himself to do it. 

***

Then Elektra happens. Elektra’s an alpha. Foggy’s never seen her but he doesn’t need to because Matt paints a pretty vivid picture of what she’s like. Matt, of course, doesn’t know what she looks like either so he describes in detail what it’s like to touch her. How soft her skin feels under his fingers. How he loves kissing the scars on her body. How her soft gasps and moans sound like a melody to his ears. How she claws and fights for control while leaving marks all over Matt’s body. 

***

Foggy dies a little every time Matt talks about her. It’s not hard to see that Matt’s in love with her. 

***

**Present Day**

“Did you love her?” 

Foggy’s eyes close and his heart races in his chest, as soon as that question leaves the therapist’s mouth. 

Beside him, Matt is quiet. And tense. “Yes,” he admits and his voice sounds so small. 

No matter how many times Foggy hears that answer, it still feels like a slap in the face. The therapist falls quiet again. Foggy can feel her assessing gaze but he refuses to look at her. Foggy hears her scratch something down on her notepad before she asks, “And what about now?”

“What about now?” Matt questions, sounding confused. 

Foggy knows that Matt knows what the lady is talking about. He’s just avoiding the question.

“Do you still love that alpha?” She asks bluntly.

Matt’s eerily quiet again. Foggy glances over at his ex-husband to find him fidgeting with his cane that he has between his thighs. “I do,” he answers and clears his throat like he’s trying to hold back tears. Funny, it’s Foggy who should be crying.                                                          

An uncomfortable silence falls between the three of them. Foggy scrapes his blunt fingernails against his slacks and doesn’t look at either of them. He knows the therapist must be giving him a pitying look. Matt, Matt must be sitting there with a guilty look on his face. He always gets that look when this subject comes up. 

“If you loved someone else, then why did you bond with Mr. Nelson?” She asks, her voice is still impassive, but it makes Foggy cringe. 

Matt stays quiet and Foggy finally dares to look over at him. He finds the alpha licking his lips and twisting his hand around his cane. He looks so guilty. He also looks like he’s in physical pain. Foggy almost wants to take pity on him and answer the question on his behalf. 

A loud ringing noise makes Foggy jump and he looks over at the therapist to find her looking at them sheepishly. 

“Sorry, gentlemen, but our time is up,” she says turning off her phone alarm. “I would like to continue this conversation next week,” she adds and gives both of them a pointed look. “There’s a lot going on here that we need to work on. We’ve only had one session and I can already tell that you two have always had communication problems in your relationship and you’ve always been closed off. I’ll be blunt here. This won’t work if you’re not completely honest with me or each other for that matter,” she sighs and puts aside her notepad before leaning forward on her chair. “Here’s something I would like the two of you to do before our next session. Get together, leave your phones at home, leave your daughter with the babysitter, and get coffee or do something that involves just the two of you. Also, tell each other something that you’ve never told each other before. It can something completely insignificant. It doesn’t matter..” 

Foggy feels a spark of anger rush through his whole body. “Seriously?” He huffs at the beta. His anger might be misplaced but he’s just exhausted. “This isn’t marriage counseling. We-” he points between Matt and himself. “-are not working on our relationship. Everything is over between us and the only thing that’s left is this- this bond. You wanted to know why we bonded, right? Here’s why. We were two naive college kids who didn’t know any better. Also, Matt felt sorry for me because I couldn't find myself a damn alpha, omega, or beta. Because, I am someone who should have been a beta but thanks to some glitch in the system, ended up as an omega instead. Now, I don’t regret it because if I wasn’t an omega, I wouldn’t have my daughter. So why didn’t you break off your relationship, earlier, you ask? Well, we could have broken off our relationship but we were friends, best friends, and I-” He stops, takes a deep breath, and adds, “-I love- loved Matt and then we had Eliza and things just kept getting complicated.” Foggy shoots out of the seat and feels Matt stand up beside him. “We only came here because the state wants to be sure that one or both of us won’t die if we break this bond. I don’t think we will because we are not like other alpha omega pairs who have an undying love for each other or whatever. If you keep insisting on working on our non-existent relationship, then I am sure I can find us a clinic in some third-world country who will be more than willing to break our bond without a damn psych eval.” 

Foggy grabs his bag and storms out of the room. He can hear Matt call his name but he doesn’t stop. 

***

“Papa!” 

Foggy hears Eliza’s voice on the other side of the door before he even knocks on it. A second later, the door to Karen’s apartment opens and Foggy stills. 

“You’re not Karen,” Foggy deadpans. 

Frank Castle’s standing in front of him dressed in casual t-shirt and jeans, and he has Foggy’s 4-year-old sitting around his shoulders. 

“No, I’m not,” Castle replies and a small, amused smile plays across his face. 

“Papa, why do you smell like that?” Foggy looks up at his daughter to find her scrunching up her nose at him. Guess she can smell his distress now. 

Eliza has her hands buried in Castle’s thick hair and looks awfully comfortable settled behind his shoulders. It should scare Foggy but it somehow doesn’t. Maybe it has something to do with the relaxed look on Castle’s face, as opposed to the constipated one he usually carries around. 

“Hey kid, what did I just teach you?” Castle grumbles tilting his head towards her. 

“Oh whoops!” Eliza giggles and cups her mouth. “That’s a mean thing to say to omegas. Sorry, papa!” 

Foggy raises an eyebrow at Castle as he enters the apartment. “You’re teaching my daughter how to be an alpha?” He asks as Castle closes the door behind him. 

“Someone has to,” Castle answers and lets Eliza down. 

“Noooo! The king still needs his carriage!” Eliza complains as her feet hit the ground. She puts her hands on her hips and tries glaring at Castle but the plastic crown on her head falls over her eyes. She whines before pushing it up. Oh yeah, Eliza doesn’t like playing the prince or princess, she goes straight for the crown. It might have something to do with the fact that The Lion King is her favorite movie. “I demand to be picked up again, peasant!” She demands, pointing a finger at Castle. 

“Eliza, no!” Foggy gasps as he pulls his daughter back. His heart speeds up as he looks up at Castle with wide eyes. He really doesn’t want to get killed by The Punisher just because his daughter decided to call the guy a peasant. “I am so sorry, she doesn’t know-” 

Before he can finish his sentence, Castle gets down on the floor in front of Eliza and says, “Come on then your highness.” 

“What?” Foggy gawks at the man but Castle doesn’t spare him another glance as he lets Eliza get on his shoulders again. “Okay, this is way too weird,” Foggy admits as he watches The Punisher interact with his daughter. 

Foggy hears the bedroom door open and looks over his shoulder to find Karen coming towards him dressed in her Minnie Mouse pj's. Her hair is wet and she has a sheepish look on her face.  “Foggy! Hey! Sorry, I was in the shower,” she says as she stops beside him. 

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Foggy asks nodding his head towards the kitchen. 

He lets Karen go ahead and she has her head ducked like a kid being asked to go to the principal’s office. 

“So… Frank Castle’s living with you now,” Foggy points out the obvious and crosses his arms over his chest. 

“Yup,” Karen replies, letting the “p” pop in the end. 

“Well, thanks for the head’s up, Kare.” 

Karen sighs and stops playing with the sleeve of her pj's before saying, “I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you, okay? But I know how stubborn you are and you wouldn’t let Lizard come over if you knew Frank was living here.” 

“Damn right, I wouldn’t!” Foggy huffs. As if on cue, Eliza loud laugh fills the whole apartment and Foggy looks over to find her on the ground now, chasing Castle around the living room. 

“Awwww…” Karen’s coos, making Foggy look at her again. “That’s cute! Even you can’t deny that, Foggy. Besides, when was the last time you saw Lizard so happy?” 

Not since Matt left, Foggy wants to say but he doesn’t. 

“Do you know how many times I’ve seen Frank smile?” Karen asks but doesn’t wait for an answer before adding. “3 times. But he’s been all smiles since I brought Lizard home from school today. He’s even been teaching her how to control her alpha instincts the whole afternoon. Lizard is stubborn- I wonder where she gets that from,” she adds a side note before eyeing Foggy. “-but she listens to him.” 

“I understand that, Kare,” Foggy sighs as he leans against the kitchen counter. “But-”  


“I know what you’re going to say, Foggy. But you know as well as I do, why he did what he did.” Karen reaches out to rest a hand on Foggy’s shoulder. “Look, don’t freak out on me, okay?” She asks gently like she’s placating a feral dog. “But I think you should let Frank train her.” 

“What?!” Foggy demands, dropping his arms beside him.  


“Well, so much for not freaking out,” Karen grumbles under her breath. “You said it yourself that you don’t want to tell Matt about her abilities. And neither you nor I know how to deal with her. I mean, we can’t even help her with her instincts because we’re not alphas.” She takes a deep breath and looks over at Frank and Eliza. Foggy joins her and finds Castle teaching Eliza how to growl. Eliza has her hands beside her like Wolverine and lets out a roar that is both tiny and adorable. 

“You could take her to a training center but it won’t take them long to figure out that she’s not like other alphas and has other enhanced abilities,” Karen’s voice brings Foggy out of his thoughts. “So the way I see it, you only two options. You either tell Matt what’s going on or you can let Frank train her.”  


	3. Dumpster Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Foggy and Eliza find Matt in a dumpster.

**2007**

Foggy has a better chance of winning a lottery than getting a date in college. Alphas don’t know what to do with him because, while Foggy passes off as a Beta, there is still a lingering smell on him. Even with all the technological advancements, no one has been able to create the perfect scent blocker yet, go figure. So he makes Alphas uncomfortable. Omegas keep their distance from him because even they can sense there's something off about him. Thus, even as a pretend Beta he isn’t enough. 

Betas are a whole different story. Hearing is their strongest sense, not smell, so they don't treat him like shit like others do. He dates a few of them and ends up with some really good friends in the process. 

***

Foggy meets Marci during the second semester of his sophomore year. Marci is an Alpha. She walks and talks like a pack Alpha and people respect her. 

That’s why Foggy’s taken aback when she reveals something about herself one night. 

“I’m a Beta,” she casually confesses as they’re lying in bed after a thorough make out.

“What?” 

She runs her long fingers through his hair and brushes them behind his ear. “Betas are always treated like the outcasts and I learned earlier on that I didn’t want to be an outcast so I turned myself into an alpha. People respect alphas.”

“Did you go through the whole process of becoming one?”

Marci abruptly stops brushing his hair. She narrows her eyes at him and asks, “Why aren’t you surprised by this, Foggy Bear?”

“I am, Marce. This is my surprised face,” he says, pointing at what he hopes is a poker face.

She props her head up using her arm and her soft, blonde hair, falls over Foggy’s face, tickling his nose. There is a curious glint in her eyes that scares Foggy a little.

“You’re not a Beta, are you?” She asks, smirking at him. 

“Wha- Of course, I-” he stops when she cocks her perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Okay, fine, I’m not a Beta. I- I’m an Omega,” he almost whispers the last bit and lowers his head.

“Oh, Foggy Bear,” she coos in a way that others would find patronizing. Foggy doesn't. 

She runs her finger along Foggy's jaw, letting her sharp fingernails scratch his skin. She leans down and presses a kiss on Foggy’s lips and then whispers, “Let me eat you out.”

“What?” Foggy asks, confused. “I tell you I’m an omega and your first thought is to go down on me.”

Marci continues smirking against his lips as she opens the top button and zipper of Foggy’s jeans. “What can I say Foggy Bear?” She moves aside each flap before slipping her hand inside Foggy’s underwear. “I like to focus on the important things.”

***.

All hell breaks loose when Foggy gets back to their room after spending the night with Marci.

Matt’s on him the second Foggy stumbles through their room. “Where the hell were you?” He asks like Foggy’s his cheating husband. “And the smell-” Foggy can’t see him in the dark but he can hear him sniffing the air. “You smell like Marci,” he adds and there’s something in his voice. Sadness? Regret? Disappointment? Foggy couldn’t tell.

Foggy blindly searches for the light behind him and after a few hits and misses, he finds the light switch. When the yellow light floods their room, Foggy almost stops breathing. Matt’s hair is disheveled and there’s a five o’clock shadow covering his face. He's wearing a dress shirt, the sleeves of which are rolled up to his elbows. It also has the two top buttons open. The whole thing clings to him, putting emphasis on arms and chest. There’s also an open bow tie hanging around his neck. Foggy licks his lips as he appreciatively takes in his best friend. Matt’s saying something. Foggy can see his lips moving. The same lips he wants to-

“Can we not do this now?” He says instead of the million other things he wants to say and do right now. 

Matt grabs his arm as Foggy starts to move towards his bed. “No, we’re doing this now. What’s going on with you, Foggy? I barely see you anymore.”

“You’re the one to talk.” Foggy yanks his arm out of the alpha’s grip. “I’ve barely seen you around since last year.”

“Foggy-” Matt darts his tongue out to lick his lips. “Is this about Elektra?”

“No, Matt. This is about you.” Foggy can't hide the hurt from his voice. 

“What’s going on Foggy?”

“I think you know what’s going on Matt. You can’t see but your other senses are intact. So I think you know what I’m not saying here, man.”

“I do,” Matt whispers and hangs his head. “But Foggy I can’t-”

“I don’t want anything from you in return, Matt. I just need you to know that this is how I feel. That it hurts to see you with Elektra. That I’m trying to get over you and Marci is helping me do that.”

Foggy notices as Matt’s jaw tightens but he ignores it and heads to bed. “Good night, Matt.”

***

The next morning Foggy wakes up to find Matt’s bed empty. His duffle bag, his other belongings missing from the room. Foggy doesn’t cry himself back to sleep. He also doesn’t spend the whole weekend in bed, wallowing in self-pity.

***

**Present Day**

After what happened last time, Foggy knows it’s a bad idea to be out alone at night but Eliza wanted ice cream and she was nothing if not persuasive. Besides, the convenience store was just a block away.

They are close to their apartment building when it happens. Eliza comes to a standstill in the middle of a not so crowded street, forcing Foggy to stop with her.

“What happened, buddy?” He asks.

A serious look falls upon her face. She has her ear pointed towards the alleyway. It’s almost like she’s trying to listen in on something.

“What’s wrong?” Foggy asks again as he starts to get slightly worried.

Instead of replying, Eliza pulls her hand out of Foggy’s grip. “Dad!” She screams before running off towards the alley.

“Shit,” Foggy hisses under his breath as he takes off after her. “Eliza, come back here!”

Turns out Foggy is no match for a 4-year-old. He watches her take a sharp turn into the alleyway and his heart almost shoots up to his throat. He’s out of breath and his legs are tight by the time he finally reaches her. She’s standing in front of the dumpster under their apartment building, trying really hard to jump up and take a peek inside.

“Eliza, what are you doing?” Foggy asks breathlessly. He’s leaning forward, grabbing onto his knees, with the plastic bag still wrapped around his wrist.

“Dad’s in there!” Eliza announces as she stops jumping.

“What?”

Okay, it’s really his fault she’s making weird claims like this. He really shouldn’t have said “He’s probably in a dumpster somewhere,” when Eliza once asked him where her dad was.

She stomps over to Foggy and grabs his hand, trying to pull him along. “Come on, papa! I can hear him! He’s hurt!”

The hairs on the back of Foggy’s neck stand up. “Hold this.” He hands Eliza the bag of ice cream before making his way over to the dumpster. “Shit.” A loud gasp escapes his lips when he does find his ex-husband on top of the garbage bags, dressed in his Daredevil costume. He isn’t moving and that makes Foggy’s heart beat even harder. “Matt,” he calls out and tries to reach him but he’s too far away. “Shit, what do I do?” He asks himself as he looks around. His eyes land on his daughter, who’s standing beside him with her blue eyes wide and her lips trembling.

“Is he okay?” She asks.

“Oh yeah, buddy, he’s fine. I think he just-” he pauses and tries to find the right thing to say. “He’s just asleep.”

“You’re lying!" 

Right, she can sense lies. Foggy forgot about that. Her eyes are filling up with tears and that breaks Foggy’s, heart.

“Hey, hey, he’s going to be fine, I promise, buddy” Foggy assures her and offers her a smile. “How about you run upstairs and open the door for me? I’ll bring him up soon.”

“But I don’t wanna! I wanna stay here with dad!” She cries out.

“Eliza, come on. You gotta work with me here, bud. I can’t do this alone. I can’t bring him upstairs and open the door at the same time. You and I need to work as a team on this.”

Eliza seems to consider his words for a few seconds before wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “Okay,” she mumbles.

“Come here.” Foggy pulls her into a side hug and kisses the top of her head. “Now here, take the keys. And be careful!”

“I will!” She shouts over her shoulder as she runs off towards the entrance of the building. 

When she’s out of sight, Foggy tries to figure out how to take Matt out of there. It has a lock on the side but Foggy can’t ask his landlord for the key. The guy will have a lot of questions. Like what is Daredevil doing in their dumpster? Or he’ll call the paramedics or the cops or both. Either way, it won’t end well.

“I hate you so much right now,” Foggy grumbles as grabs onto the edge of the dumpster and hoists himself up. He narrowly avoids landing right on top of Matt and lets out a disgusted sound when feels something wet under his shirt. “Please be water, please be water,” he prays as he sits up on top of the garbage bags. When he brings his hand around to sniff whatever’s on his back now, he realizes that it has a coppery smell. Blood. He really hopes it isn’t Matt’s. “Matt, hey, can you hear me?” He calls out and shakes his ex-husband.

When he doesn't get a response, Foggy reaches out with a shaky hand and presses his middle and index fingers against Matt's neck. Relief washes over him when he does feel a beat under his fingers. It’s pretty dark in the dumpster so Foggy doesn’t know where exactly Matt is hurt. His knees press down on the garbage bags as he wraps one of Matt’s arms around his shoulders. His own arm finds its way around Matt’s waist and he uses all of his strength to hoist up his ex-husband. It’s a bit tricky, getting him out of the dumpster because the garbage bags are slippery under his feet and they move as he tries to clamber out of the dumpster with Matt who isn’t exactly light, especially not in his costume. He really doesn’t want to throw Matt out of the dumpster. That might just hurt the guy even more.

He pretty much carries Matt out and tries to catch a breath when they’re safely on the ground again. “You owe me big time for this, man,” he breathlessly says to his ex-husband. Matt’s natural alpha pheromones are now mixed with the garbage odor and Foggy tries hard not to throw up all over Matt as he half walks, half carries him into the apartment building.

His heart almost stops beating for a second when the elevator door opens, revealing his neighbor Janet. Her brown eyes widen almost comically when she notices Matt beside him.

“Oh hey, Janet.” Foggy almost has the urge to say ‘Dammit, Janet,’ but he doesn’t. He instead gives her an awkward smile as she gawks at him.

“Is that-” she starts to ask.

“Oh no, this, this is my boyfriend… James.” He almost drops Matt who is making his arm numb but then pulls him back up. “He uh- he loves Daredevil so he was just cosplaying.”

Janet blinks at him but then a huge smile spreads across her face. “Whoa, it’s a pretty accurate costume.”

“Yep, it is,” Foggy chuckles. 

“Yeah, I mean, I was wondering how would  _ you  _ of all people know Daredevil. That would just be ridiculous.”

“Yep, definitely would be,” Foggy replies and tries not to let her patronizing tone get to him. He’s used to it by now.

“What happened to him, though?” She asks as she moves away from the elevator. 

The doors close before Foggy can reach them and he curses internally. He pushes the button again and waits for a different elevator. 

“He drank a little too much," he replies distractedly. 

“Oh sweetie, no.” The other omega’s faux sympathetic look mixed with the patronizing tone of her voice spikes Foggy’s anger. “I mean, I know you just went through a  _ nasty _  divorce but you can’t just start dating an alcoholic. Don’t sell yourself short. You’re good looking enough. You can find someone better. Besides, you don’t need someone like this around Eliza. It can be damaging to her. Or if you have to date  _ him,”  _ she turned up her nose and pointed towards Matt. “-then at least let Eliza go live with her other father. Alphas are better caregivers anyway. You know how us omegas are. We can’t be trusted with ourselves.”

“You know, Janet, I always wondered why the laws still don’t favor omegas. Now I know it’s because of other omegas like you. You’re making life difficult for the rest of us.”  

Thankfully right at that moment, the elevator door decided to ding and Foggy got on with Matt, leaving Janet and her  _ nasty  _ comments behind. He felt Matt shift and let out a soft whine beside him.

“Seriously?  _ Now  _ you decide to wake up. After I wrestled with garbage bags and almost lost, trying to get you out of the dumpster.” He’s not sure if Matt can hear him but he complains anyway.

“Foggy?” Matt’s voice sounds so small that dissipates some of Foggy’s anger. “W-where am I?”

“Right now, you’re practically on top of me and you aren’t exactly light buddy, so I hope you can stand on your own soon.”

Foggy feels Matt smile against his neck. “But you always liked me on top.”

Okay, so Matt’s making jokes. That’s a good sign. Or maybe it’s the blood loss talking, which is definitely not a good sign.

“Matt, if you start saying stuff like this in front of our daughter, I swear to god-”

“Where’s Liz?” Matt asks as he moves his head away from Foggy’s shoulder.

He has that worried look on his face, that almost makes him look like a kicked puppy. “You know, after 10 years, I am immune to that look, right?” He really wasn’t but he didn’t need Matt knowing that. “And Eliza is upstairs. Where we’re going right now. What were you doing in our apartment dumpster, anyway?”

“I- I was-” Matt stuttered. He took a deep breath before saying, “You stormed out the other day and you wouldn’t answer my calls. I was worried.”

“And you couldn’t use the front door like a normal person?”

“I figured Liz must be asleep. I didn’t wanna disturb her but I lost my grip climbing up the building-”

“ARE YOU ACTUALLY INSANE?” Foggy yelled and immediately felt bad when he noticed his ex-husband wince. But you couldn’t really blame him for being mad. He just had a mini heart attack after all. “We live on the 27th floor, Matt. You know how lucky you are that you fell in the dumpster. What if you- what if you missed-”

“I was barely on the second floor, Foggy.”

“Barely on the second floor, he says,” Foggy huffs. “How many times do I have to ask you to stop being so reckless? You have a 4-year-old kid, Matt, who needs you.”  _ I need you _ . Foggy wants to add but doesn’t.

The elevator doors open before Foggy can hear Matt’s reply. Foggy practically drags Matt outside. Eliza, who's standing right outside their apartment, rushes over to them and clings onto Matt’s legs.

“Dad!” She screeches excitedly. “Are you okay?”

“Eliza, let’s get your dad into the house then you can ask him questions.”

“Okay, papa!” Eliza runs over to the door and opens it fully for them.

Matt lets groans in pain when Foggy deposits him on the couch. Eliza quickly clambers onto the sofa beside her dad and hugs his neck.

“Hey kiddo,” Matt winces as he greets her and wraps an arm around her. “I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not, you’re hurt,” Eliza huffs as she moves to sit beside Matt.

“How did you get hurt?” Foggy asks against his better judgment. “More importantly, is the story kid-friendly? And even more importantly, do you want me to call Claire?”

“No, I’ll be fine,” Matt insists as he removes his mask and lowers his cowl.

His face is void of any bruises so that’s a relief. Foggy has so many questions, though, like whose blood was on Matt’s costume but he couldn’t ask anything until Eliza was fast asleep. The little troublemaker wasn’t above her dad when it came to eavesdropping.

“Okay, Eliza, time for bed. Your dad and I need to have grown up conversations.”

“Nooooo!” Eliza whines and clings onto Matt’s neck again. “I don’t wanna go. I wanna stay with dad.”

A fond look falls over Matt’s face and Foggy shakes his head at the two. They’re gonna be the death of him.

“He’ll be here tomorrow morning. He’s not going anywhere while he’s hurt.”

Both Eliza and Matt give him identical puppy dog eyes that breaks Foggy composure.

“Really?” Eliza asks.

“Yep, now come on. Say goodnight to your dad and let’s get you to bed.”

“Okay!” Eliza replies excitedly and places a kiss on Matt’s cheek. “Night, Dad.”

“Night, kiddo,” Matt says with the same fond smile and kisses her forehead.

When Eliza is all tucked up in bed, Foggy picks up the whiteboard from her table and writes - _ remember what I told you?- _

Her eyes narrow in concentration and she frowns as he looks at the board. “What?”

Foggy puts a finger to his lips to hush her before writing - _ don’t tell dad about your powers- _

The same look of concentration falls across her face again and then she nods dutifully. “Okay, papa,” she whispers back.

Foggy kisses the top of her head and gives her her favorite stuffed tortoise, “Night, buddy,” he says and dims the nightlight.

“Night, papa,” Eliza yawns and falls asleep almost immediately.

Foggy finds Matt struggling with his suit when he comes back to the living room. “What are you doing?” Foggy demands as he pushes Matt back on the couch.

“What does it look like?”

“It looked like you were losing a fight against your monstrosity of a costume,” Foggy deadpans. He reaches out to unzip Matt’s costume but stops. “Can I?”

“Since when do you need permission?”

“Since we split up,” Foggy says without missing a beat. “So can I?”

“Of course, Foggy,” Matt replies with an amused smile. “So who’s James?” He asks as Foggy unzips his very complicated costume.

Foggy stops and he feels his eyes widen. “You little shit! How long were you awake?”

“Well, I woke up to see you almost pull my arms out of their socket,” Matt chuckles. “But I  _definitely_  should have said something when you dragged me out of the dumpster like a sack of potatoes.”

“I hate you so much right now.” Foggy scoffs. “How did you get hurt anyway?” He asks again as he fully takes off the top part of Matt’s costume. The feels the blood on his fingers again and tosses the jacket away almost immediately. “That’s not your blood, is it?”

“No, I just had a concussion.”

“Just a concussion?” Foggy asks incredulously. “Okay, you know what, I’m done being surprised.” 

As he starts examining the bruises on Matt’s side and on his shoulder, Matt stops him with a hand on top of his. “Foggy, I heard what that woman said. She's wrong, you know. Liz will always be better off with you. I mean, look at me, man, I'm a mess." He takes a long pause before adding. "And I kinda got into a fight with Frank, that's how I got hurt." 

"Castle?" Foggy asks, surprised. "I thought you guys were okay now." 

"Not really," Matt shrugs. "We still don't agree on a lot of things." 

"But he can't just go around beating you up, man. That's just messed up. I'll have a word with him. Maybe give him a piece of my mind." 

"Seriously?" Matt asks, surprised. "I thought you were scared of him." 

"Well, things change. Besides, every time he hurts you I have to deal with the consequences." 

"You know I can always leave," Matt offers, giving Foggy one of his adorable little frowns again. 

"I swear to god, Murdock, you move from that sofa and I will tackle you." 

"You do realize that will just make things worse, right?" 

"Yeah, I am fully aware," says Foggy. "So you better stay seated if you don't want to make your injuries worse." 

"Sir, yes, sir," Matt chuckles and gives Foggy a quick salute. "And Foggy, just because I let you boss me around, doesn't mean other alphas will be okay with that." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"That I don't want you confronting Frank or going anywhere near him. He's a dangerous guy, Fog. Karen doesn't get that, but I hope you do." 


End file.
